The Blackbird (1926) Film Review - Lon Chaney

Plot Summary - Silent film melodrama/love triangle, directed by Tod Browning. In foggy London's Limehouse district, full of painted ladies and seedy characters, we meet thief Dan Tate (Lon Chaney), aka "The Blackbird", as he sneaks into his hideout at the local mission ("Come Ye and Rest"), up through a trapdoor and in through the back of a closet. Dan secretly leads a double life as he plays an elaborate ruse posing as "The Bishop", his kindly (obviously twin - though never stated) brother who runs the mission - a deformed cripple who goes about on crutches and is beloved by all of Limehouse. Dan goes to see the show at a local Limehouse music hall one evening, where a monocled, well-dressed swell known as "West End Bertie" (Owen Moore) arrives "going slumming" with friends from the fashionable set. Dan and Bertie soon both have a lustful eye on the charming, pretty French girl, Fifi (Renee Adoree), who performs a rather delightful puppet act using her own face as part of her French maid female puppet. Dan actually meets Fifi by sending her a gift backstage - um, a pistol. When Fifi admires a woman's "diamond collar", he secretly has in mind to steal it for her - but turns out his rival Bertie is a notorious crook who gets his men to rob his own circle of friends of their jewelry, including the diamond collar. The two men agree to split the take half and half, as Dan points out that since the crime was committed in Limehouse, he and his men will be suspected by the "coppers". But soon Bertie takes Fifi out and gives her some bejeweled rings, thus winning her over for himself. Jealous Dan schemes to break the two of them apart, and he gets in more trouble with the law - but gets some help from his ex-wife who still carries the torch for him.

Review - This is a nicely done, albeit rather strange silent film, showcasing Lon Chaney's talent for distorting his body when playing a man with a deformity - not to mention his range at playing different character types, both a good man and a bad man. I always love the charmer Renee Adoree - now for some reason her character, though portrayed as sweet and innocent, doesn't seem all that put out when she finds out her man's a crook, but then he is kind of cute. Now I don't know if I'd put so much trust in him when he claims he's giving up his old ways for love - what happens when the seven-year itch comes in their relationship and he gets itchy fingers for some new jewelry to steal? Lon Chaney is one of my favorite silent era actors, and though I wouldn't say this is one of my most favorite of his films, it's still pretty good. The film, as shown on TCM, featured a nice orchestral score done by Robert Israel. One thing I wonder about - how come no one in town wonders why they never see The Blackbird and The Bishop at the same time, especially considering they both supposedly have a room at the mission?! Rating - 8/10 stars

Triumph (1917) Film Review - Cinecon 44 Screening

Plot Summary - Melodramatic silent film telling the tale of young Nellie (Dorothy Phillips), wannabee actress from the sticks who encounters a theatrical troupe on her way to NYC to seek her "triumph" on the stage. She meets a producer who is looking for a replacement for an actress who "got married" (so being 1917, of course, she can no longer work). Nell joins the troupe and soon meets a dramatic critic (Lon Chaney) who hopes to get the play he wrote ("Triumph - A Story of the 16th Century in 4 Acts", or something like that) produced - he becomes somewhat of her new Svengali, convincing her that she was given beauty for a reason, to use to get what she wants in life. She immediately sets out to find out exactly what her beauty can do - and uses her feminine wiles to get the producer to stage Chaney's play. Seeing that pretty Nell is pretty much clinging to Chaney all the time, the producer comes to realize he's been used and cans the idea of putting on his rival's play. High melodrama, murder, and pill popping to follow.

Review - This was a decent film, not a great one, but I'm partial to silent films from the teens actually (I love the clothes - and also that feeling of being back in time I get, especially for the really old films) - unfortunately the film is incomplete (the end part lost and summarized on screen via titles), and there was some nitrate decomposition in this. But I did enjoy seeing this film - especially to see one my all-time favorite silent film actors, Lon Chaney, in one of his earlier roles. His immense star quality really shines through, I must say - I love that guy! Rating - 7.5/10 stars